Railway tie positioning apparatus



Jan.7, 1958 R. c. WILLgAMS 2,818,820

RAILWAY TIE POSITIONING APPARATUS 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 27, 195390 J09 I. In W Ill IIH Mull Jan: 7,1958 R. c. WlLLlAMS 2,818,820

' RAILWAY TIE POSITIONING APPARATUS Filed April 27, 19 53 v eSheets-Sheet 2 'HH II HI I 7 /IHHH ImTIHI- mum Jar 7, 1958 R. c.WILLIAMS 7 2,818,820

RAILWAY TIE POSITIONING APPARATUS Filed April 27, 195;

6 Sheets-Sheet s Jan. 7, 1958 R. c. WILLIAMS 2,818,829

RAILWAY TIE POSITIONING APPARATUS Filed April 27, 1953 6 Sheets-Sheet 4Jan. 7, 1958 Filed April 27, 1953 R. C. WILLIAMS RAILWAY TIE POSITIONINGAPPARATUS e Sheets-Sheet 5 Jan. 7, 1958 R. c. WILLIAMS RAILWAY TIEPOSITIONING APPARATUS 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 Filed April 27, 1953 UnitedStates Patent RAILWAY TIE POSITIONING APPARATUS Ray C. Williams,Chicago, Ill., assignor to Pullman-Standard Car Manufacturing Company,Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Delaware Application April 27, 1953,Serial No. 351,447 Claims. (Cl. 104-2) The present invention relates toapparatus for positioning railway ties for spiking to the track rails,and more particularly to tie positioning apparatus for grasping,lifting, and centering ties at desired locations along the track inaccordance with a predetermined spacing of tie centers and nipping theties against the rails for spiking thereof.

In the disclosed embodiment of the invention, the apparatus comprises acar adapted to run under its own power on the track to be supported bythe ties and carrying outboard of its forward end a vertical mast alongwhich is slidable a tong carriage mounting two pairs of tongs laterallyspaced slidable independently of each other substantially parallel tothe track for clamping a tie at spaced points. Hydraulic cylinders areshown for opening and closing the tongs, for shifting the tongslongitudinally of the track, and for lifting and lowering the carriage.In addition to stopping brake means, the car is provided withelectromagnetic brake means cooperable with the track to prevent carmovement during the positioning of a tie. A disk or wheel engaging oneof the rails operates an indicator for indexing the apparatus inaccordance with the predetermined tie center spacing. Hydraulic set-offmeans are provided for lifting the apparatus above the rails when it isto be placed on or removed from the track, and set-ofi wheels aresuitably disposed for moving the machine laterally onto or ofi thetrack. on temporary rails placed transversely of the track.

Railway track maintenance and track laying operations involvemanipulation of the ties, which are loosened on or. freed from, thetrack and then relocated and respiked, it old but reused, or positionedand spiked to the track if new, as in tie replacement work or the layingof new track. The ties must be located in properly spaced relation alongthe track when spiked thereto, and during the spiking operation must beheld or nipped tightly against the rail. bases, and disposed directlytransversely of the track, that is, substantially at right angles to therails. Since the ties in practically every instance extend under the.track spaced from and angled relative to the positions to be assumed bytheir center lines when secured to the track, their proper spacing andpositioning for spiking requires considerable handling or manipulationof the ties. The present apparatus accomplishes all manipulativemovements necessary to bring each tie to the desired position at itsdesired location, rapidly, positively, and simply, so that no manualhandling is necessary. Only the tie-handling mechanism need be movedduring the tie-positioning operation, the machine as a whole being heldin fixed position relative to each desired tie location, so thatpositive centering of the tie at the desired location is assured and aminimum of time and power is expended in each operation. As each tie isspiked in place, the machine is indexed to the next position at which atie is. to be secured, in accordance with the indexing indicator, whichis calibrated to the predetermined spacing of the ties.

2,818,820 Patented Jan. 7, 1958 It is an object of the present inventionto provide a machine or apparatus for centering railway ties at desiredlocations along a track and holding the ties in such position forsecurement to the track.

It is another object to provide apparatus for placing and holdingrailway ties in position for securement to the track they are tosupport, which will grasp slewed or cit-center ties and bring them toproperly centered position at desired locations along the track.

Another object is the provision of an apparatus for positioning railwayties in properly centered relation at desired locations of predeterminedspacing along a track for spiking or' other securement thereto.

Another object is the provision of apparatus for pcsitioning railwayties of a track which may travel on the track in indexed relation topredetermined tie locations therealong and operate to dispose ties inproperly centered relation at such locations for securement to therails.

Another object 'is the provision of railway tie positioning apparatusadapted to grasp and lift loose ties below a track into close engagementwith the track rail bases and hold the same in such engagement duringspiking thereof to the bases.

A further object is the provision of the positioning mechanism operableto grasp and raise ties disposed out of desired centered position andautomatically center the same at desired locations.

It is another object of the invention to provide tie positioningapparatus including mechanism operable to grasp and raise ties disposedout of desired centered position without movement of the apparatus as awhole.

Another object is the provision of tie positioning apparatus includingmechanism for grasping, lifting, and bringing to desired centeredposition ties disposed out of centered position without movement of theapparatus as a whole.

Still another object is the provision of tie positioning apparatus whichwill dispose ties in a desired position quickly, easily, and positively.

A further object is the provision of apparatus for positioning railwayties for securement to a track which is operable to shift either end orboth ends of a tie longitudinally of the track for effecting propercentering of the tie.

Other and further objects, advantages, and features of the inventionwill be apparent to those skilled in the art from the followingdescription in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the apparatus, taken from the right-handside;

dFig. '2 is a side elevation taken from the left-hand s1 e;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the apparatus, taken from a level somewhatbelow the roof;

Fig. 4 is a front elevation of the apparatus;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary view in elevation of the tie-handlingapparatus ormechanism;

Fig. 6 is a horizontal sectional view taken substantially as indicatedby the line 6-6 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 7 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially as indicated bythe line 7f7 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 8 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the hydraulic system; and

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of a tong blade of slightly different formfrom that shown in Fig. 5.

Referring to the drawings, and particularly to Figs. 1 to 4, theapparatus is shown as comprising a car gengerally designated 10 having arectangular frame formed by longitudinal side sills 11 connected attheir ends and at intermediate points by suitable cross members 12.Outboard of and parallel to the side sills are shorter side members 13supported and spaced from the side sills by suitable transverse members,not shown, with their forward ends disposed rearwardly of the front endof the frame and connected thereto by diagonally extending members 14and their rear ends terminating short of the rear of the frame. A flooror platform 15 extending over the frame and side members, except at theframe portion rearwardly of the side members and as omitted or cut awayto accommodate the mounting of various elements on the car as laterdescribed, is provided by steel plates or the like, preferably of thesafety tread type. A pair of vertical posts 16 are secured one at eachend of the front cross member 12 with a portion depending therebelow andthe major portion extending upwardly to more than head height above theplatform. The posts are connected near their upper ends by a crossmember 17. A pair of rear uprights 18 each in longitudinal alignmentwith one of the posts 16 and connected thereto at the upper end by ahorizontal member 19 extend from the frame at the rear part'of theplatform 15. Suitable gusset plates and braces may be employed torigidity the .posts, uprights, and members 19, and the uprights may beconnected by a cross member at their upper ends. A roof 20 of sheetmetal or the like is supported above the platform 15 by the posts 16,uprights 18, and members 19. The frame is mounted on two pairs of wheels21 fixed on front and rear axles 22.journaled in suitable bearingbrackets of journal boxes (not shown supported from the side sills 11and driven by an engine or motor as hereinafter explained. The wheelsare adapted to run on the rails R of a track which extends over ties T,including loose ties which are to be spiked to the rails atpredetermined locations along the track, the locations being determinedby the desired spacing of the tie centers.

The tie-handling mechanism, which may be understood best by reference toFigs. 3, 5, and 7, is carried by the car 10 forwardly of the frame, on avertical hollow mast 24 mounted centrally and forwardly by suitablybraced horizontal upper supports 25 extending from the cross member 17and similar lower supports 26 extending from a cross member 27connecting the lower ends of the posts 16, below the level of the frame.The mast serves to guide vertically a carriage 28 slid'able thereon,which is of generally open framework construction. The carriagecomprises a sleeve 29 receiving the mast therethrough, a horizontalplate 30 extending from the bottom of the sleeve, front and rear crosspieces 31 secured to the front and rear edges of the plate and extendingtransversely of the track, vertical members 32 depending from the endsof. the cross pieces, and horizontal guide members 33 extendinglongitudinally between the front and rear vertical members at each sideof the carriage. The plate 30 has a central portion apertured to receivethe lower end of the sleeve 29, to which it is secured, a generallytriangular portion extending forwardly from the sleeve and centralportion to the front cross piece 31, and a relatively narrow rectangularportion extending rearwardly to the rear cross piece and having arelatively long cross part at its rear end for securement to the crosspiece. The guide members 33 are arranged in two pairs laterally spacedon opposite sides of the mast by the cross pieces 31, the guide membersof each pair being vertically spaced from each other a suitabledistance. They are shown as smooth-surfaced cylindrical bars, thoughthey may be of other forms. The members 33 form parts of the carriageframe, but also serve as guide means for tongs hereinafter described,each pair of members acting as guide means for a pair of tongs. Fourvertically disposed gusset plates 34 extend from the sleeve along theside edges of the forward and rear portions of the plate 30. The mast 24is slotted upwardly from its lower end a suflicient distance, as bestshown in Fig. 4, to permit the carriage 28 to move therealong between alowermost position and an uppermost position, the carriage and itstie-clamping tongs hereafter described being well above the track in thelatter position, as shown in Fig. 1. An attaching bar 35 extendsdiametrically through the slotted portion of the mast and throughaligned notches in the upper edge of the sleeve 29 and has itsprotruding ends bolted between the securing lugs of the two halves of asplit collar 36 welded to the sleeve. A hydraulic cylinder 37 is mountedin the upper unslotted portion of the mast (Fig. 2) with piston rodpivoted to the attaching bar 35 for shifting the carriage 28 along theslotted portion of the mast.

A pair of tongs is slidably mounted on each pair of horizontal guides 33at each side of the carriage, each pair of tongs comprising two clampingmembers 38. Each clamping member has a slide portion 39 with twovertically spaced horizontally extending apertures suitably formed andbushed or lined to receive the two guides therethrough so that theclamping member 38 may slide smoothly and easily on the guides.Depending from the bottom of the slide portion is an integral attachingportion which is slotted to receive the tang of a tong blade 40 thetie-engaging portion of which extends downwardly from the attachingportion. Bolts or the like secure the tang to permit ready removal andreplacement of the tong blade. The blades may be of any desired formadapted to grasp or clamp a tie between them and draw it upwardly, andin the present instance are shown as flat bars pointed at their lowerends, the

edges being rounded or beveled to facilitate penetration of ballast whenit is present and prevent lodgement of material between the tong bladeand tie. The inner edges extend vertically to engage the sides of a tieand have horizontal projections somewhat above the points for engagingthe bottom of the tie. A slightly different form of tong blade 40a isshown in Fig. 9, which is curved between the point and tang so as to bowaway from the tie. The inner or concave edge has a right angular notchabove the point for engaging the side and bottom of the tie. The edgesare beveled as in the case of the tong :blade 40. The tong blades 40aare adapted for use with ties having rounded sides, while the tongblades 40 are provided for use with the ties of substantiallyrectangular -cross section.

41 are mounted each above and preferably in the vertical plane of one ofthe laterally spaced pair of'guide means, with one piston rod pivoted tothe adjacent rear vertical member 32 and the other carrying a U-shapedcrosshead 42 with its arms extending rearwardly. To each arm are pivotedthe upper ends of a pair of tong links 43 the other ends of which arepivoted to the respective slide portions 39, one pair of links beingdisposed on each side of the tongs. The links are offset or suitablybent so-as not to interfere with each other upon sliding of the clampingmembers 37 relative to each other. Each cylinder 41 is operableseparately so that the two pairs of tongs may be moved independently ofeach other.

Operation of the double cylinder so that one piston is fully retractedand the other .fully extended brings the associated pair of tongs to acentered position, in transverse alignment with the mast 24. From thiscentered position in which they are normally disposed, each pair Figs. 3and 4.- In any position of the tongs along the guides, or duringmovement thereon if desired, each pair of tongs may be opened or closedto the fullest extent permitted by'the particular. proportions adoptedforjthe parts. The opening or closing'of each pair of tongs isaccomplished by a tong cylinder 45 disposed between the two clampingmembers 38, the piston rod of which is connected to one slide portion 39and the closed end of which has an extension connected to the" otherslide portion. The two cylinders 45in this case are cont-rolled bycommon valve means, so that opening and closing of both pairs of tongsby extension or retraction ofthe piston rods is simultaneous, althoughit will be clear that the cylinders may be arranged for independentoperationif desired. The links 43 and cylinders 45 of each pair of tongsmay conveniently be connected to the slide portions 39 by common pivotpins 46 extending through suitable bosses formed on the slide portions,as" best shown in Fig. 7. Vertical shield plates 47 are preferablymounted on the sides of the carriage 28 to guard workmen from injury bythe mechanism carried by the carriage, the plates being disposedoutwardly of the guides and tongs by suitable brackets on the respectivefront and rear vertical members 32. Sockets 48 for carrying: pneumaticspike drivers or like tools may be secured to the front verticalmembers. During travel of the apparatus to andfrom its scene ofoperations, or at other times when the; tiehandling mechanism is not inoperation, the carriage is moved by the'lifti-ng cylinder 37 to itsuppermost position and held in that position by the: cylinder. Asuitable chain 49 is provided to prevent possibleaccidental lowering ofthe carriage at such times, however, the chain being secured at one endto an eyeon the upper mast supports and having at the other enda hook toengage in another eye on the plate 30. When the chain is not in use, thehook maybe engaged in the upper eye, and if desired the chain may beheld against swinging by any suitable means.

Single hydraulic cylinders may be substituted for the double centeringcylinders 41 to position the pairs of tongs along the guides, ifdesired, but in such case, to bring the tongs to centered position, thevalves controlling the cylinders must be manipulated inaccordance withvisual observation of the positions of the tongs on the guides so as tobring the piston of the single cylinder into a proper intermediateposition therein. A- rod or wire may be fixed to each of the crossheads42 to extend rearwardly with its end bent inwardly over a plate markedto indicate the centered position for enabling: the operator to judgewhen to close bothends of the cylinder by manipulation of the valve; Thedoublecylinder arrangement is preferred at present because the centeringis automatic and positive in that each piston is merely moved to anextreme position at either end of its chamber simply by opening theopposite end of the chamber to the hydraulic fluid.

An internal combustion engine or motor 50 for driving the car is mountedcentrally of the frame and has a suitable transmission 51, preferablyproviding for reverse and a number of forward speeds, controlled by ashift lever 52 and connected in driving relation with a gear mechanism53 which may have a speed reducing effect but serves primarily todetermine the direction of drive, under the control of a suitable forwar-andreverse lever 54', so that the same range of drive ratios isafforded in reverse as in forward movement of the car. A clutch, notshown, of any suitable type is provided for engaging and disengaging thetransmission 51- and motor 50, the clutch being operated by a clutchpedal 55 at the forward part of the car frame and also by a manual lever56. The pedal and lever arelinked by a rod or the like so that both aremoved when either is operated. The front axle is driven from the gearmechanism 53 by a sprocket chain, and the rear axle is driven from thefront axle by another sprocket chain arrangement which preferablyincludes a take-up mechanism. The sprocket and chain arrangements havebeen omitted from the drawings for the sake of clearness inillustration, .since the construction and operation will be readilyunderstood by those skilled in. the art. Drive means other than thosedisclosed may of course be employedl A mechanical brake on the frontaxle is operated by a brake lever 0n the. gear mechanism housing ismounted. a seat 582 for the operator, the shift lever 52, clutch. pedal55; clutch lever 56, and brake lever 58 being located for convenientoperation: by the operator when seated. An exhaustpipe 59 for the motor50 with a muffler 60 connected thereto extends upwardly through the roof20', and preferably has a heat insulation covering 61: as a safeguardagainst accidents. At one side of the platform 15 is mounted. a fuelsupplytank 62 for the motor 50. A pressure tank 63 for compressed airmay conveniently be nested with the fuel tank 62, to receive. air underpressure through pipe 64 from an air compressor 65- of: anydesired typeand capacity supported on the rear portion of the car frame and operatedby a separate internal combustion motor, not shown, supplied with fuelfroma tank 66 supported. below the compressor. The pressure tank 63*has: a suitable val ved connection fitting 67' for supplying compressedair to pneumatic toolsfor working on the roadbed and track, for examplethe spike drivers mentioned hereinabove. Guard rails 68 and 69" arepreferably fixed along the sides of the platform.

A pump: 70? for supplying hydraulic fluid under pressure to the severalcylinders of the apparatus is mounted behind the car motor: 50 in linewith a power take-oil? shaft. 71 of the motor,. which is connectiblewith the pump shaft by means of a clutch 72 at appropriate times todrive the pump. The means for engagingand disengaging the clutch partsare not shown because such means are well known inthe art, but maycomprise a shifter yoke carried by a. pivoted lever. A tank 74 (Fig. 8')for the hydraulic fluid is mounted on the frame below the pomp- 70, andwith the pump is connected by conduits in a hydraulic circuit with theseveral cylinders as hereinafter' explained. Mounted to one side of thepump is an electric generator 7 5 driven from a pulley 76 on thetake-off shaft TI to charge a storage battery, not shown, for operatingelectro-rnagnetic brake means which hold the car firmly anchored on thetrack during a tie-handling operation. These brake means are of a knowntype and therefore need not be described in detail, but comprise a pairof elongated brake members 77" each incorporating a temporarilymagnetizable element disposed directly above and slightly spaced fromone of the rails. The brake members 77' are suspended from. suitablebrackets under the platform 15- by springs 78', and areheld againstlongitudinal movement relative to the car and guided in verticalmovement by rigid members 79 depending from side sills 11. The operatingcircuit of the electrm magnetic brake means is controlled by a suitableswitch arranged to be operated by the clutch pedal 55 and clutch lever56, in such manner that when the clutch is engaged to have the motor 50drive the car the brakeenergizing circuit. is: open, and when the clutchis disengaged to break the driving connection between the motor and the.front axle the circuit is closed to magnetize the brake elements andcause them to engage and cling to the rails R by reason of the magneticattraction therebetween. It has been found preferable to arrange theclutch pedal 55 in such relation to the clutch and clutch lever 56 thatthe clutch is engaged when the pedal is depressed and disengaged whenthe pedal is released.

On one end of. the front axle 22, outwardly of the adjacent car wheel21, is fixed a bevel gear 80, with which is engageable another andpreferably larger bevel gear 81 on a horizontal shaft 82 journaled inhangers or hearing. brackets 8-3 depending from supports extendingbetween the adjacent side member 13 and side sill 11. A pair of set-offwheels 84 are secured on the axle or shaft 82. The wheels 84 are ofsmaller diameter than the wheels 21 so: as to clear the rails R. Thebevel gear 81 is arranged to be axially movable on the shaft 82 whilebeing in rotationally fixed relation thereto, as. by means of the rail.

. K 7 e splines or keys, and has a hub 85 with a periphera groove inwhich engages a shifter yoke 86 having a handle lever 87 projectingthrough the platform and pivoted on a vertical bracket plate 88 fixed onthe platform. By moving the handle lever, the bevel gear 81 may beshifted into and out of engagement with the gear 80 by the yoke 86. Itwill be clear that when the gears 80 and 81 are in mesh, the shaft 82and the wheels 84 thereon may be driven by the front axle. On theopposite side of the car, two pairs of bearing brackets 83 depend fromsupports between the side sill 11 and side member 13 to journal two stubaxles 89 each of which mounts a single set-off wheel 84 in alignmentwith one of the wheels 84- on the shaft 82. Secured to the side sills 11at the front and rear of the frame are pairs of vertically disposedhydraulic set-off cylinders 90 depending below the frame, the pistonrods of each pair of cylinders carrying a set-off bar 91 extendingtransversely of the car and adapted to bear on the rails R when thecylinders are operated to extend the piston rods. The car may thus beraised to lift the wheels 21 clear of the rails, when set-off rails maybe disposed under the set-off wheels 84 transversely over the track andthe shaft 82 driven as already explained to move the car 10 laterallyotf the track along the set-off rails. The car may be set on the trackby reversing this procedure.

Indexing means are providing for locating the apparatus in properrelation to each tie to be positioned at a predetermined point along thetrack, Ordinarily 21, 22, or 24 ties are employed for each thirty-ninefeet of track, that being the length of a standard rail, and the tiesare spaced uniformly along such length of track so that the locations ofand the distance between tie centers is determined by the number of tiesto be used. A suitable bracket 92 is secured on the lower end of one ofthe posts 16 to extend over the adjacent rail R and journals the spindleof a measuring wheel or disk 93 engaged on The disk has a circumferenceequal to the predetermined distance between tie centers. In a posi tionconvenient for viewing by the operator, an indicating dial 94 is mountedon the post 16 by a bracket journaling the spindle of a pointer or thelike movable over the dial. An endless belt 95 or the like extendsaround pulleys on the spindles so that as the disk 93 revolves thepointer is rotated over the dial. The disk, of course, is rotated byfrictional engagement with the rail when the car 10 travels along thetrack, The bracket 92 may be pivotally arranged for biasing of the diskagainst the rail, and to be swung up for disengaging the disk from therail when its use is not required, as during travel to and from thepoint of operations, and any suitable means employed to hold the bracketand disk in desired position. In operation, the carriage 28 is centeredover a starting line corresponding to the location of a tie center, bymovement of the car to locate the mast 24 directly over such startingline. Any appropriate marker or sighting means may be provided on theapparatus to facilitate such positioning. The pointer is then set at anappropriate mark or calibration on the dial 94, and the disk 93 isengaged on the rail. As the apparatus is driven along the track, thedisk makes one revolution. for each space between tie center locationsand the pointer moves over the dial and indicates whether the mast 24 isdisposed directly over such a location. In the present case, the pointermakes one rotation for each revolution of the disk, and only one markneed be provided on the dial. When the pointer moves to this mark, themast is centered over a tie center location, and if a tie is to besecured to the rails at such location the apparatus is stopped at thatpoint, with thetie-handling mechanism in position to manipulate andproperlycenter the tie. Disks of different sizes corresponding tovarious desired tie spacings may be substituted on the bracket 92'asnecessary. g I

The various hydraulic cylinders are controlled by sultable valves whichmay conveniently be mounted in front of the operators position in twobanks by brackets 96 secured on the posts 16. The front pair of set-0Ecylinders iis controlled by a valve 97 in one bank, and the rear pair bya similar valve 97 in the other bank of valves. The carriage liftingcylinder 37 is operated by means of a valve 98 in the right-hand bank,and the two tong cylinders 45 by a valve 99 included in the left-handbank. The two centering cylinders 41 are each controlled by a pair ofvalves 100 and 101, the valve 100 controlling one chamber of therespective double cylinder and valve 101 the other chamber. The pair ofvalves 100 and 101 for the cylinder on the right side of the carriage 28is mounted in the right-hand valve bank, and the valve pair for theother cylinder41 is mounted in the left-hand bank. The disclosedmounting and location of the valves may of course be varied. If insteadof the double cylinders41 single cylinders are used for centering orshifting the tongs along the guide means, only one valve 100 or 101 isrequired for each cylinder. Referring to Fig. 8, liquid under pressureis provided by the pump 70 through a supply conduit 102 leading to theright-hand bank of valves through a pressure relief valve 119?: having arelief bypass line 104 to the tank 74. A surge tank 195 and a pressuregauge 166 may be connected to the supply line in a conventional manner.The valves are connected in series, with the last valve of the left-handbank connected by a return line 107 to the tank. From each valve 97 abranching conduit 1118 leads to corresponding ends of the associatedpair of set-off cylinders 90, and another common conduit 109 connectsthe other ends of the cylinders to the valve. The valve 98 has a pair oflines 110 and 111 leading to opposite ends of the carriage liftingcylinder 37. Abranched line 112 connects corresponding ends of the tongcylinders 45 with the valve 99, and another such line 113 extendsbetween the other ends of the cylinders to the valve. Each valve 160 iscom nected by a pair of conduits 114 and 115 to opposite ends of onechamber of its associated double cylinder 41, and

each valve 101 is similarly connected to the opposite ends severalconduits are not shown in full except in Fig. 8, for

the sake of clearness in the other views.

A screen 118 is preferably provided at the front of the car frame beforethe seat 58 to intercept pieces of bal- --last in' the event any shouldpossibly be thrown toward the operator in the course of positioning ofthe ties. A tongue 119 is secured to the rear cross member 12 of theframe for towingequipment or similar vehicles if desired. A step 120 issupported by angle members or the like from each of the diagonal members14 to facilitate mounting or dismounting from the car platform 15. Theapparatus is equipped with suitable lights and a warning signal, which,however, are not shown in the drawings.

In operation, the apparatus is set on the track and driven to the spotat which the tie-spiking operation is to begin; There the apparatus ispositioned to bring the mast 24 into alignment with a starting line, asalready explained, and the indexing means adjusted. If the starting lineis the desired tie center location of the first tie to be positioned,the electromagnetic brake means are applied -to anchor the car in place,and if not the car is driven ;to the point where the first tie to behandled is disposed, positioned in accordance with the indication of theindexthe tie inwardly of the rails R, by manipulation of the re-'spec'tive valves 1110 and 101 to operate the cylinders 41.

Then the cylinders 45. are operated by their common valve 99 to open thetongs, and the carriage is shifted downwardly by the lifting cylinder 37under the control of the valve 98 so that the tong blades 40 are loweredinto position With the tie therebetwecn, substantially as shown in Fig.6. The cylinders 45 then are operated to close the tongs so that the tieis clamped between the blades ofeach pair of tongs, and the carriage israised by the cylinder 37 and the tongs brought to the centered positionby the cylinders 41. The lifting of the tie is preferably in two steps,so as to clear the roadbed or ballast as well as the rails beforecentering the tie and after centering to bring the tie into engagementwith the bases of the rails R. This reduces the force required andallows tie plates to be placed on the tie. After the tie is brought tocentered position against the rail bases, it is held there by thecentering cylinders 41 and upward force applied by the lifting cylinder37, and is spiked to the rails as by spike drivers powered by compressedair supplied by the compressor 65. When one tie has been secured inposition, the electromagnetic .brake elements. are deenergized torelease the car, which is then driven forward a distance correspondingto the predetermined tie spacing, which is indicated by the indexingmeans in the manner already explained, and brought, to a stop at theproper point. Since the apparatus travels. only a short distance betweenthe tie locations, it is. not necessary to employ the mechanical brakefor stopping, and the car is quickly and easily brought to the desiredpoint by means of the electromagnetic brake, which as previouslydescribed is rendered effective immediately upon release of the. motorclutch pedal 55 to disengage the drive. The electromagnetic brake thusserves as both a stopping brake and as track anchoring means for thecar. The second tie is brought to centered position and secured insubstantially the manner described in. connection with the first tie,and the apparatus continues along the track in this fashion to positionsuccessive ties at the predetermined locations.

It will be understood. that the tongs need not in every case be. shiftedfrom the centered position, and need not be perfectly centered over the.tieportions to be grasped.

A tie might be exactly parallel to its desired position but slightly toone side thereof. If it were sufficiently close to such position, thetongs in their centered positions would merely need to be. openedsufliciently to straddle the tie and lowered, and the tie would be moveddirectly into line with its desired centered position by the movement ofthe tong blades toward each other in closing, with no shifting of thetongs from their centered positions. If the tie were farther from itsdesired position although parallel to it, both pairs of tongs would beshifted in the same direction, lowered over the tie and closed on it,andthen raised and shifted back to centered position. A tie extendingbelow the track at an angle, across its desired centered position, asfor example the tie next to the last spiked tie in Fig. 6,. requiresone. pair of tongs be moved rearwardly and the other forwardly in orderthat they'may clamp the tie. In Fig. 6, the righthand pair of tongs hasbeen shifted rearwardly and the left-hand tongs forwardly, and lowered,so as to straddle the tie adjacent the respective rails. The left-handtongs are illustrated as closed to indicate how the tie would overliethe horizontal projections or notch portions on the tong blades, whilethe right-hand tongs are open, although as explained hereinabove bothpairs of tongs would actually be opened and closed together.. The tiewhen clamped by both pairs of tongs would be raised and then brought toits. desired centered position, represented by the broken-line. outline,by sliding the righthand tongs forwardly and the left-hand tongsrearwardly to their centered positions, swinging the tie as about. apivot, point. The next loose tie in Fig. 6 would be handled similarly.but in this case the left-hand tongs would be moved rearwardly insteadof the right-hand tongs, and the right-hand tongs would be movedforwardly, or possibly not moced from center but merely opened. wide.Each tie must be handled according to its 715 '10 particular positionrelative to its desired location, but the present apparatus has'suchflexibility of operation that thetie is readily grasped and effectivelypositioned with a minimum expenditure of time and power. The openconstruction of the carriage 28 permits the operator to judge accuratelytherelative positions of the tongs and tie so that he can operate theseveral valves with great efiiciency and a minimum of false tongmovements. The apparatus is fast and elficient in action, and economicalto operate, particularly in relation to the number of ties it willposition in a given time.

If single cylinders be used instead of the double cylinders for shiftingthe tongs along the guide means, the operation is substantially asdescribed above, except that the centering of the tongs must be done bymanipulation of the valves in accordance with visual observation of thepositions of the indicating rods or like means employed in such case, aspreviously explained, and not automatically in response to locating thevalve operating handles in specific positions. The single cylinders areeflective enough, particularly in applications in which the apparatus isemployed primarily as a nipper to lift the ties against the rails andhold them during spiking, with the bulk of such tie centering as may benecessary being effected by the closing of the tongs against the tiesrather than by sliding of the pairs of tongs as units along the guides.It is considered preferable even in such applications, however, toemploy the double cylinders 41 because of their advantages. The liftingcylinder 37 not only shifts the carriage 28 along the mast 24 andprovides the lifting force to hold the ties against the rail bases, butpushes the tongs through ballast to the necessary level for engagingunder the bottom of a tie, when the ties lie on or in ballast. Thecentering and tong cylinders furnish the power necessary to shift theties even against the resistance of loose ballast and to close the tongsthrough such ballast in order to clamp the tie. The electromagneticbrake means securely anchor the apparatus on the track to prevent anyshifting thereof which might throw the mast 24' out of the desiredalignment in the vertical plane of the tie center location, since themagnetic holding force developed is much more positive than would beprovided by clamping or other mechanical means which might be used toanchor the car on the track. The tie-handling mechanism may be used tojar or roll a tie to remove pieces of ballast thereon which wouldinterfere with its engagement with the rail, by suitable manipulation ofthe tongs in a manner which will readily appear from the operation ofthe mechanism as described.

While the apparatus finds its greatest usefulness in operationsextending continuously over an appreciable extent of track, it is alsoefficient in operations involving only occasional ties along a stretchof track rather than a considerable number of successive ties, as in tiereplacement operations. It will be appreciated that while the apparatus.of the present invention is well adapted to use as one of a number ofmachines, such as cribbing, ballast cleaning, and tamping machines, forperforming various consecutive steps in track maintenance operations, itis not limited to use in such fashion but may be employed to effect itspurpose without regard to the manner or means used. to perform relatedoperations on the track and roadbed.

What is claimed is:

l.v Apparatus for positioning railway ties, comprising a car fortraveling on a track extending over the ties, a vertically disposed mastcarried by the car outboard of one end and centrally relative to thetrack, indexing means carried by the car engageable with the track forindicating car positions in which the mast is disposed directly above adesired tie location along the track, means on the car cooperable withthe track to hold the car in any of said positions, a tong carriagemounted on and guided by the mast for vertical. sliding, movement,

a hydraulic cylinder mounted on the mast and connected to the tongcarriage for positioning the carriage along the mast, a plurality ofhorizontal guide means'mou'nted on the carriage in laterally spacedrelation to extend longitudinally of the track, a plurality of pairs oftongs each slidable along respective of said guide meanstprojecti'ngdownwardly from the carriage, each pair of tongs comprising a pair ofopposed clamping members slidable relative to each other along saidguide means and a hydraulic cylinder extending between and connected tothe clamping members for shifting the same relative to each other, aplurality of double hydraulic cylinders each connected to one pair oftongs for sliding the same along its guide means independently of theother tongs and normally disposing said one pair of tongs in a centeredposition transversely aligned with said mast, a source of hydraulicfluid under pressure connected to said cylinders for operation thereof,and valve means controlling-the operatiton of the cylinders includingseparate valves for the chambers of said double cylinders operable tocause each double cylinder automatically to dispose its associated pairof tongs in said centered position.

2. Apparatus for positioning railway ties, comprising a car fortraveling on a track extending over the ties, a vertically disposedhollow mast carried bythe car outboard of one end and centrally relativeto the track, track-engaging indexing means carried by the car forindicating car positions in which the mast is disposed directly above adesired tie location along the track, electromagnetic brake meanscooperable with the track to hold the car in any of said positions, atong carriage mounted on and guided by the mast'for vertical slidingmovement, a hydraulic cylinder mounted in the mast and connected to thetong carriage for positioning the carriage along the mast, horizontalguide means mounted on the carriage in laterally spaced relation toextend longitudinally of the track, two pairs of tie-clamping tongs eachslidable along respective of said guide means and depending below thecarriage, a hydraulic cylinder for each pair of tongs to open and closethe same, a pair of double hydraulic cylinders each connected to onepair of tongs for normally holding said pair of tongs in a centeredposition transversely aligned with said mast and for shifting said pairof tongs in either direction relative to said centered positionindependently of the other pair of tongs, a source of hydraulic fluidunder pressure connected to said cylinders for operation thereof, andvalve means controlling the operation of the cylinders includingseparate valves for the chambers of said double cylinders operable tocause each double cylinder automatically to dispose its associated pairof tongs in said centered position. 7

3. Apparatus for positioning railway ties, comprising a car fortraveling on a track extending over the ties,

vertical guide means carried by the car outboard of one end, andcentrally relative to the track, indexing means carried by the carengageable with the track for indicating car positions in which theguide means extend directly above a desired tie location along thetrack, means on the car cooper-able with the track to hold the car inany of said positions, a tong carriage slidable along said verticalguide means, means for positioning the carriage along the guide means, aplurality of horizontal guide means mounted on the carriage in laterallyspaced relation to extend longitudinally of the track, a plurality ofpairs of tongs each sidable along respective of said horizontal guidemeans and depending below said carriage, hydraulic means for opening andclosing each of the pairs of tongs, a plurality of other hydraulic meanseach connected to one of said pairs of tongs for moving the same alongthe horizontal guide means independently of the other tongs and normallydisposing the associated pair of tongs in a centered positiontransversely aligned with said vertical guide means, a source ofpressure fluid connected to said hydraulic means for operation thereof,

12 and valve meanscontrolling the operation of the hydraulic means.

4. Apparatus for positioning railway ties, comprising a car fortraveling on a track extending over the ties, vertical guide meansmounted on the car centrally relative to the track, a tong carriageslidably carried by said guide means, hydraulic cylinder means forpositioning said carriage along said guide means, horizontal guidesmounted on the carriage in laterally spaced relation to extendlongitudinally of the track, pairs of tongs each slidable alongrespective of said guides and depending below the carriage, hydrauliccylinder-means for opening and closing each pair of tongs, doublehydraulic cylinder means associated with each pair of tongs forpositioning the associated pair of tongs along said guides and normallydisposing the same at a centered position vertically aligned with adesired tie location, a source of hydraulic fluid under pressure foroperating said cylinder means, and valve means for controlling theoperation of the cylinder means by the fluid.

' 5. Apparatus for positioning railway ties, comprising a car fortraveling on a track extending over the ties, vertical guide meansmounted on the car centrally relative to the track, a tong carriageslidable along said guide means, fluid-operated means for positioningthe carriage along the guide means, a pair of horizontal guide meansmounted on the carriage in laterally spaced relation to extendlongitudinally of the track, a pair of tong units each slidably carriedby one of said spaced guide means and each including a pair of opposedtong members extending below the carriage slidable relative to eachother along the respective guide means, fluid-operated means forpositioning the tong units along the respective spaced guide meansindependently of each other, fluid-operated means for shifting relativeto each other and holding against such shifting the tong members of eachunit, a I source of pressure fluid for said fluid-operated means, and

valve means for controlling the operation of operated means by saidfluid.

6. Apparatus for positioning railway ties, comprising a car fortraveling on a track extending over the ties, vertical guide meansmounted on the car outboard of one end for disposition extendingdirectly above a desired tie location, a tong carriage slidable alongthe guide means, fluid-operated means for positioning the tong carriagealong the guide means, a pair of horizontal guide means mounted on thecarriage in laterally spaced relation to extend longitudinally of thetrack, a pair of tong units each slidably carried byone of saidhorizontal guide means, fluid-operated means for opening and closingeach of said tong units, fluid-operated means for positioning the tongunits along the respective horizontal guide means independently of eachother, a source of pressure fluid for said fluid-operated means, andvalve means controlling the operation of the fluid-operated means by thepressure fluid.

7. Apparatus for positioning railway ties, comprising a car fortraveling on a track extending over the ties, ver- -tical guide meansmounted on the car for disposition extending directly above a desiredtie location, a tong carriage slidable along said guide means, means forpositioning the carriage along the guide means, a pair of horizontalguide means mounted in laterally spaced relation on the carriage toextend longitudinally of the track, a pair of tong units one slidablycarried by each of the horizontal guide means and each including a pairof opposed clamping members slidable relative to each other along therespective horizontal guide means, means for shifting toward andfromeach other the clamping members of each tong unit, and double hydrauliccylinders operable for positioning each of the tong units along its Iguide means, independently of the other tong unit. a 8. Apparatus forpositioning railway ties, comprising a car for traveling on a trackextending over the ties, vertical guide means mounted on the car fordisposition extending directly above a desired tie location, a tongcarriage slidablealong said guide means, means for positioning thecarriage along the guide means, a pair of horizontal guide means mountedin laterally spaced relation on the carriage to extend longitudinally ofthe track, a pair of tong units one slidably carried by each of thehorizontal guide means and each including a pair of opposed clampingmembers slidable relative to each other along the respective horizontalguide means, a hydraulic cylinder for each tong unit operable to shiftthe clamping members thereof toward and from each other, and means forpositioning each of the tong units along the respective horizontal guidemeans independently of the other tong unit.

9. Apparatus for positioning railway ties, comprising a car fortraveling on a track extending, over the ties, vertical guide meanscarried by the car for disposition extending directly above a desiredtie location, a tong carriage slidable along said guide means, means forshifting the carriage vertically along the guide means, a pair ofhorizontal guide means mounted in laterally spaced relation on thecarriage to extend longitudinally of the. track, two pairs of tongs eachslidably carried, by one of said pair of horizontal guide means, meansfor moving the pairs of tongs to selected positions along the respectivehorizontal guide means independently of each other, and means foropening and closing the tongs, said pairs of tongs each comprising apair of opposed clamping members slidable relative to each other alongthe respective horizontal guide means and depending below the carriage.

10. Apparatus for positioning railway ties, comprising a car fortraveling on a track extending over the ties, vertical guide meanssupported by the car, a tong carriage slidable vertically along saidguide means, means for positioning the carriage along the guide means, apair of horizontal guide means mounted on the carriage to extendlongitudinally of the track disposed in laterally spaced relation, twopairs of tongs each slidably carried by one of said pair of horizontalguide means, means for opening and closing each pair of tongs, and meansfor sliding each pair of tongs as a unit in either direction along tisrespective horizontal guide means.

11. Apparatus for positioning railway ties, comprising a car fortraveling on a track extending over the ties, a tong carriage mounted onthe car shiftable in a vertical plane central relative to the track anddisposable with a transverse plane thereof directly above a desired tielocation, means for shifting the carriage vertically, a pair of guidemeans mounted on the carriage in laterally spaced relation to extendlongitudinally of the track, a pair of tong members slidably carried byeach of said pair of guide means, hydraulic cylinder means operable toshift relative to each other and to hold against such shifting the tongmembers of each pair, and a pair of double hydraulic cylinders eachoperable to shift one pair of tong members along its respective guidemeans independently of the other pair and normally to dispose said onepair of tong members in said transverse plane of the carriage.

12. Apparatus for positioning railway ties, comprising a car fortraveling on a track extending over the ties, a tong carriage mounted onthe car shiftable in a vertical plane and disposable with a transverseplane thereof directly above a desired tie location, means for shiftingthe carriage vertically, a pair of guide means mounted on the carriagein laterally spaced relation to extend longitudinally of the track, apair of tongs slidably carried by each of said pair of guide means andeach including a pair of opposed clamping members slidable relative toeach other along the respective guide means, a hydraulic cylinder foreach pair of tongs operable to slide relative to each other and to holdagainst such sliding the clamping members of each pair, and means forshifting each pair of tongs along its respective guide meansindependently of the other pair and normally disposing said one pair oftongs in said transverse plane of the carriage.

13. Apparatus for positioning railway ties, comprising a car fortraveling on a track extending over the ties, a tong carriage mounted onthe car shiftable in a vertical plane and disposable with a transverseplane thereof directly above a desired tie location, means for shiftingthe carriage vertically, a pair of guide means mounted on the. carriagein laterally spaced relation to extend longitudinally of the track, apair of tongs slidably carried by each of said pair of guide means andeach including a pair of opposed clamping members slidable relative toeach other along the respective guide means, means for sliding relativeto each other and holding against such sliding the clamping members ofeach pair of tongs, and a pair of double hydraulic cylinder means eachoperable for sliding one pair of tongs along its respective guide meansand normally disposing said one pair of tongs in said transverse planeof the carriage.

14. Apparatus for positioning railway ties, comprising a car fortraveling on a track extending over the ties, at tong carriage mountedon the. car shiftable in a vertical plane, means for positioning thecarriage in said vertical plane, guide means mounted on the carriage inlaterally spaced relation to extend longitudinally of the track, a pairof tong members slidably carried by each of said spaced guide means,means for shifting relative to each other along the respective guidemeans and holding against'such shifting the tong members of each pair,and means for shifting each pair of tong members as a unit along itsrespective guide means in either direction independently of the otherpair.

15. Apparatus for positioning railway ties, comprising a car fortraveling on a track extending over the ties, a tong carriage mounted onthe car shiftable in a vertical plane, means for shifting the carriagein said vertical plane, guide means mounted on the carriage in laterallyspaced relation to extend longitudinally of the track, a pair of tongsslidably carried by each of said spaced guide means, means for openingand closing each pair of tongs, and means for sliding each pair of tongsin either direction along its respective guide means independently ofmovement of the other pair of tongs.

16. In a machine for positioning railway ties adapted for disposition ona track extending over the ties, vertical guide means fixed in aposition to extend directly above a desired tie location along thetrack, a carriage vertically shiftable along said guide means, means forshifting the carriage vertically, horizontal guide means mounted on thecarriage in laterally spaced relation to extend longitudinally of thetrack, a pair of tong members slidably carried by each of said spacedguide means and depending below the carriage for clamping a tie,hydraulic cylinder means operable for shifting relative to each otheralong the respective spaced guide means and holding against suchshifting the tong members of each pair, and double hydraulic cylindermeans operable for sliding each pair of tong members as a unit along itsrespective spaced guide means independently of the other tong memberpair toward and from transverse alignment with said vertical guidemeans.

17. In a machine for positioning railway ties adapted for disposition ona track extending over the ties, vertical guide means fixed in aposition to extend directly above a desired tie location along thetrack, a carriage vertically shiftable along said guide means, means forshifting the carriage vertically, horizontal guide means mounted on thecarriage in laterally spaced relation to extend longitudinally of thetrack, a pair of tongs slidably carried by each of said spaced guidemeans and depending below the carriage for clamping a tie, means foropening and closing each pair of tongs, and means for sliding each pairof tongs along its respective spaced guide means independently of theother pair of tongs toward and from a position transversely aligned withsaid vertical guide means.

18. Apparatus for positioning railway ties adapted for disposition overa track extending over the ties, comprising a carriage shiftable in avertical plane to extend directly above a desired tie location, meansfor shifting the carriage in said plane, guide means mounted inlaterally spaced relation on said carriage to extend longitudinally ofthe track, a pair of tong members slidably carried by each of saidspaced guide means and depending below the carriage for clamping a tiebelow the track,

hydraulic cylinder means operable for shifting relative to each otheralong the respective guide means and holding against such shifting thetong members of each pair, and means for sliding each pair of tongmembers as a unit along its respective guide means independently ofanother pair of tong members.

19. Apparatus for positioning railway tics adapted for disposition overa track extending over the ties, comprising a carriage shiftable in avertical plane to extend directly above a desired tie location, meansfor shifting the carriage vertically, guide means mounted in laterallyspaced relation on said carriage to extend longitudinally of the track,a pair of tong members slidably carried by each of said spaced guidemeans and depending below the carriage for clamping a tie below thetrack, means for shifting relative to each other along the respectiveguide means and holding against such shifting the tong members of eachpair, and double hydraulic cylinder means for sliding each pair of tongmembers as a unit along its respective guide means independently ofanother pair of tong members.

20. Apparatus for positioning railway ties adapted for disposition overa track extending over the ties, comprising a carriage shiftable in avertical plane to extend directly above a desired tie location, meansfor shifting the carriage vertically, guide means mounted in laterallyspaced relation on said carriage to extend longitudinally of the track,a pair oftongs slidably carried by each of said spaced guide means anddepending below the carriage for clamping a tie below the track, meansfor opening and closing each pair of tongs, and means for sliding eachpair of tongs as a unit along its respective guide means independentlyof another pair of tongs.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,836,444 Carnahan Dec. 15, 1931 2,596,823 Richardson May 13, 19522,603,255 Woolery July 15, 1952

